JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government will soon bring an ordinance to further strengthen the law to prevent malpractices in recruitment exams, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Sunday after the state witnessed protests and arrests and over alleged irregularities in REET-2021.

He said the ordinance will have provisions for strict action -- including seven years' jail term and dismissal from government service -- against those involved in cheating, paper leaks and other irregularities in competitive examinations, an official statement said.

He said that under the ordinance, the use of unfair means in recruitment examinations will be included in the category of a cognisable and non-bailable offence and a provision will be made to increase the jail term from three years to seven.

Gehlot was addressing a high-level meeting of the home department held at the chief minister's residence.

According to the statement, the chief minister said strict action should be taken against those found involved in irregularities in all future recruitment examinations.

If any government officer-employee is found to be involved in such cases as paper leak, sitting dummy candidates and copying, the state government will sack him from service, he said.

Also, if a person associated with any private educational institution is found to be involved in any irregularity, then the recognition of the concerned institution will be terminated permanently.

As many as 10 people, including some police constables, have been arrested in Rajasthan in connection with the irregularities in Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers-2021 (REET-2021).

The examination was conducted on September 26 for over 30,000 posts of teachers in the state.

About 16 lakh candidates had registered to sit in the examination in the state.

Meanwhile, Gehlot also said that like in REET-2021, free travel facility will be provided to all candidates of the proposed Patwari Recruitment Examination in the month of October and the RAS Preliminary Examination to be held thereafter.

He said that apart from roadways buses, adequate number of private buses would be arranged to provide free travel facility to the candidates of both the examinations.

The chief minister gave necessary instructions to Chief Secretary Niranjan Arya and Director General of Police ML Lather on maintaining law and order and preventing any issues during the upcoming recruitment examinations.